JP: Shockwaves will rattle other sides

The second division for Cayman basketball is loaded with young teams. Arguably the one to watch may be the Shockwaves.

Heading into this week the Shockwaves are 3-1 and in second place within division two of the 2011 national men’s league. Put on by the Cayman Islands Basketball Association, the 10-week competition is already into its fourth round of games.

So far the Shockwaves have defeated the Ritz-Carlton Lions, Rock Hole Fire Ants and Future Sports Club. Their only loss was to the Personnel Warriors (essentially the same Derek Bogle Insurance Warriors side that won the division championship last season).

A 23-point blowout victory over Future last Wednesday at the University College of the Cayman Islands multipurpose hall was the most recent result. Stand-out play came from the likes of Shockwaves team captain Olujimi Lapierre, stalwart Diego Smith and newcomers David Powery and Michael Blackburn (who faced his former team). Shockwaves head coach Jonathan Powery, 21, states defence was the difference.

“Our pressure on the ball was what worked for us,” Powery said. “We have the legs and we’re fit so we tend to use a man-to-man defence that’s aggressive and leads to fast-paced basketball. The only concern is we have to make our passes better as we turned the ball over too much in the third quarter.”

Up next is a showdown with an unbeaten Charterland side at the college campus on Wednesday 4 May at 6pm. Thanks to veteran player Gavin McMasters and new recruit Ovaine Monteith, Charterland (formerly the Digicel Demons) are now 4-0 atop the standings.

Jonathan Powery, who hails from West Bay, states he is confident in his side’s chances against the current frontrunners.

“We are preparing hard for that because it will be our toughest match of the season. However I’m confident we can take them out. The team is confident we can beat any team. My assistant coach Lionel Menzies (who was a big factor last year playing for our team) and I have a unified side.

“Our most impressive win of the season so far was against the Rock Hole Fire Ants in late April. Right now the team is doing what needs to be done. It has been a tough road because a lot of our guys are coming from different (Under-19) teams. Getting everyone to gel was our biggest issue early on. But I can only see improvement in our game from here on out.”